A little way into the forest behind Adam’s house was a clearing with a set of old, dead stumps. Anton had shown it to Adam, and he had been using it for target practice ever since. Sorcery was still new to him, and it worked mostly on instinct. He would want to do something, and his internal reserves would respond in kind. His current specialty was elemental magic, ‘evocation’, his father had said with pride. He could do a small number of things with it, including making his body lighter with wind or projecting heat from his hands, but right now, he needed something simple.

Adam reached for his magic and attempted to sling a bolt of ice at the stump.

Nothing happened.

…

He tried again. Nothing happened. Again, again, again-

Panic began to set in, his breath quickening – Had he broken his magic? Was this a punishment that came with the other curse? He attempted to conjure the shield again, asking for protection.

The shield appeared in front of him, shimmering in the air. Adam furrowed his brow and attempted to do the ice bolt again. Nothing happened.

Was it just… evocation that was broken, then?

He tried again and again, but his magic refused to respond. He grew more and more frustrated, anger swirling in his stomach. Something within him clicked once his emotions reached a boiling point.

It was not too dissimilar to when the halo had appeared and begun this whole mess, and he panicked as he searched for an aura of light. No halo, but Adam noticed something else,

The grass around him was beginning to freeze. He was suddenly aware that his body was colder, and as an experiment, he attempted to sling a bolt of ice.

A thick ball of energy the size of his fist rocketed from his fingertip, impacting the already pockmarked dead log in front of him. Adam looked down at his hand in shock – Previously, the bolts he had fired had been the size of finger joints, not his wrist. His anger and frustration leaked away, and the feeling of cold disappeared. He tried to send out another bolt. Nothing.

He grimaced, so his evocation magic was now linked to his emotions and affected his environment. Why?

It had to be some strange reaction between his sorcerer blood and his ill-begotten celestial traits. Azata are supposed to be emotional, after all, he thought bitterly. It seemed like every single time he tried to move on from this curse, it found another way to remind him of its existence. That made him pause; why was he so determined to hide this?

Well, that was obvious; he wasn’t allowed these things. That had been a fundamental understanding all his life – In his family, the aasimar heritage was limited to women. It was a rule like ‘One plus one is equal to two’. Therefore, him somehow having acquired these traits was a moral failing, a breaking of the natural laws – Like saying, ‘One plus one is actually equal to three’ – people would judge you. The thought of being judged scared Adam so much that he physically shook his head to dispel the idea.

He sighed, flexing his fingers and making an effort to move on. Might as well figure out what each emotion is linked to then, right?

Adam tried to make himself embarrassed.

 

---

 

If he had to give one part of this rotten experience credit, it was the fact that these foreign, confusingly strong emotions made it far easier to get in touch with the new rules of his magic. Without them, he wasn’t sure if he would have been able to do evocation at all.

Comparing now to how he was before, Adam realised that his old emotional state had been very… Bleak. A narrow band of possibilities compared to the new flurry he had been feeling at even the slightest suggestion. It left him with some uncomfortable questions, however; Was having so few emotions normal? Was this new him the true normalcy?

Adam stopped thinking about it, instead focusing on following the trail into town. It was a pitiful thing, poorly maintained and hardly visible for long stretches, but Adam had his memory to compensate.

So far, he had discovered a few different reactions to his mood. Anger was related to ice, making him and the surrounding area far colder; Embarrassment was linked to heat and fire and worked on the same principles; Fear was wind, making his body light and quick – He presumed in order to make it easier to escape from whatever was scaring him.

That was all he’d managed so far, but he would be lying if he didn’t find the concept of searching for more quite exciting. He approached the outskirts of the town, pausing at the edge to look into a murky puddle and adjust his cap, making sure none of the white hair showed. Revealing his curse to the wrong people here might be even more devastating than showing his family.

The streets were still a little muddy – few streets were paved in stone so far from the cities – and Adam was glad for his high hiking boots. The strong smells of spices and tanned leather drifted around the corner, and Adam grinned as he laid eyes upon the morning market, one of his favourite destinations in town.

Technically, he didn’t actually need to come into the market for a few more weeks, but he desperately needed a distraction and why not simply get everything done at once? Adam kept a hand on his coin purse, wary of young children who thought it hilarious to pinch goods from the ‘forest bumpkin’ who lived out of town. It wouldn’t be the first time.

He hummed happily to himself as he perused the stalls, greeting familiar faces and handling their wares. He paused for a longer time at the stall which sold the wooden figurines that he found so interesting. The vendor was an older woman, built sturdy and round in a way that gave you the impression she could lift a cow with little effort. Her greying hair was cut short and practical, and her face seemed hewn from stone. Eliza’s normally hard expression softened as she saw Adam, and she leaned forwards as he admired her newest works.

“Did you like the raven? Let me tell you, getting the details in the feathers was bloody tough on that one.”

Adam smiled, picking up a figurine that looked like a wolf. The carving was intricate, capturing the fierce expression of the animal near-perfectly – Adam would know.

“I loved it, Eliza, thank you. These are all wonderful; how long does each one take?”

She waved her hand dismissively, “Don’t thank me, twas your father that bought it as a gift. How long do they take?” She rubbed her chin, “The more complicated ones… Perhaps half a day, if I want to get em perfect. The smaller ones for children and the like? Maybe a few hours. I’ve got years of experience that helps quicken my hand.”

Adam’s looked at her wondrously, “A few hours for something like this?”

He picked up a toy soldier, one of Eliza’s ‘less complicated’ figurines. His clothing had clearly defined folds and creases, and you could practically feel the sharpness of his extended cutlass. Eliza chuckled,

“Experience, lad, experience. I could show you the basics if you want. The fundamentals are quite simple; it’s just the practice that takes a while.”

Adam’s eyes went wide, and he leaned forwards,

“Really?” He whispered like it was too good to be true. He’d love to be able to make things like this, though he had never thought himself capable.

Eliza let out a great guffaw at his expression, “It ain’t magic, lad! Nothing to get so excited about. Yes, I can teach you. You might be one of the only people in town that appreciates my work. Least I can do is show you how it’s done.”

Adam nodded, still a little bit giddy at the idea. A figurine caught his eye, and he picked it up and cradled it gently in his hands.

“This one’s gorgeous,”

It was a carved figure of a woman standing casually and confidently with her arms crossed, her flowing dress moving in some unseen breeze. The dress felt like it had weight; at first glance, it was difficult to believe it had come from a small chunk of wood. It felt more like it was actually made from silk. Adam held it with wide-eyed wonder, and Eliza nodded thoughtfully.

“Oh yes, you’ve got a good eye, lad. That one took me three days – Longest I’ve spent on a piece since I started,” She tapped the side of her nose, looking at him with a small grin, “I’ll give it to you for fifteen silver if you want it.”

Adam nodded excitedly, pulling out his purse and counting out the money. He had enough for this – The local lord gave his family a stipend to protect the land and use their magic in times of emergency.

Eliza wrapped the figurine in a light cloth, placing it gently in the box.

“Come to my stall after you’ve had lunch tomorrow, and I can show you the basics.” She said as she handed the box over, and Adam waved her goodbye as he moved to peruse the rest of the market. He had things to do, after all.

He had to go and see his big sister.

 

---

 

Adam bit into a rather sour apple as he leaned against the wall of one of the more permanent market stores. Most of the stalls were transient, little more than poles and cloth that could be set up at a moment’s notice and dismantled even quicker if the weather turned bad. However, there were a few who had the privilege of stone or brick buildings. They were little more than huts compared to the places people called home, but they could keep the water and wind out in case the products were more… delicate. They also offered some measure of security.

Adam knocked on the curtained window three times, and a tall dark-skinned woman opened the door with a cocked eyebrow. She grinned as she saw him, disappearing back inside but leaving the door open a crack. Adam slipped into the dark building, gently closing the door behind him.

The inside of the store was filled with racks of clothing, ranging from fine dresses to practical women’s work clothes. Adam felt distinctly out of place, like he was intruding somewhere he wasn’t allowed to be. Before he had taken more than a step, the woman pulled him into a tight embrace.

“Hello there, little brother, it’s been too long!” She said with a big warm grin while she reached up to ruffle his hair. Adam squawked with alarm, stepping backwards to prevent her from revealing what was under his cap.

“Please don’t touch my hair right now, Olivia. It’s complicated,” He paused before murmuring, “It has been too long. Sorry about that.”

Olivia, Matt and Adam had been good friends for most of their lives. She had something like a big-sister bond with the both of them and was one of the few women that Adam didn’t feel hopelessly awkward around. They hadn’t spoken in a while due to a simple lack of opportunities, and half the reason Adam had come down today was to catch up.

Olivia nodded, stepping back and circling the store, picking through the racks to prepare for the opening during the afternoon market.

“I get it, Adam; you’ve got magic to learn now, yeah? The forest must take up a fair bit of time,”

Adam sighed, picking through the dresses absentmindedly. He liked the feel of the fabrics and the pretty colours.

“Mhm. There’s a new batch of poachers this season. Experienced and professional, Da’s got his hands full. How goes the store?”

He attempted to switch subjects, not wanting to think about that morning. Olivia turned to him with a smug grin, crossing her arms.

“It’s going pretty bloody well if I say so myself. I’m learning how to adjust the clothing with my Da, and he’s saying that most of this is his best work yet. Oh! We also got a very good deal with the nearest city; a bulk order for the daughter of a noble. Da’s working overtime. Lots of red.”

Adam returned the smile, “Excellent! I’m so happy for you, Olivia. Last time we met, you said it was getting pretty rough?”

Olivia sighed, propping her chin up with one hand.

“Mhm. Most of the locals have stopped buying our stuff, so that’s why we’re looking towards the cities. Always told Da he shouldn’t have learned to tailor in a mining town.”

She peaked around the corner of the rack to where Adam was absentmindedly looking through the clothing, and she smiled slyly.

“Could always use more customers if you see anything that catches your eye, brother. I can think of a blue that would look perfect with your complexion~”

Adam went bright red, recoiling from the racks like they were made of hot metal.

“No, thank you, sister,” He said curtly before pausing, adding with a nervous smile, “I think I’d be far too tall for most of your father’s work regardless. Doubt the man has met a woman over six feet tall before.”

That got a snicker out of both of them despite Adam’s discomfort with the idea of wearing women’s clothing. That would be like appropriating something that wasn’t his! Much like his celestial traits, for that matter.

Olivia approached, reordering the racks for what must have been the third time.

“Well, enough about the store,” She waggled her eyebrows before turning back to the clothing, “How are things with Matt, hmm?”

Adam choked on his apple, spluttering into the crease of his elbow. Olivia was one of the few people who knew about their… relationship? He supposed he could call it that now. She found it delightful, if not a little amusing, due to the rather large difference in their personalities; Matt was boisterous and loud, while Adam tended to be soft-spoken and reserved. ‘Contrast is necessary,’ she’d said with a nod when she’d learned of what they were up to.

Unfortunately, Adam had, up until this point, managed not to think of Matt since the incident. Olivia mentioning him brought a deluge of feelings to rise to the surface of his mind, and he found himself sniffling, holding back tears. Him! Sniffling! Like some kind of schoolgirl. He cursed at himself audibly, slapping his cheeks lightly to try and stop his emotions from running so rampant. This caused Olivia to turn around and rush forwards with alarm, gently holding his hands.

“Hey hey hey!” She said, pulling out a square of cloth from somewhere within her clothing and wiping away his tears, “What happened? Are you alright? No need to hit yourself, brother.”

Her expression hardened, “Did Matt say something stupid? I’ll snap him like a twig for you, no problem. He needs a reminder sometimes.”

Adam panicked, shaking his head rapidly,

“No! No. He’s been lovely; I just… It’s complicated.”

Could he tell her about his condition? Would she understand? If there was anyone he could trust, it was Olivia. She watched with concerned eyes as Adam lowered his hands, sitting down on a stool and holding his head in his hands.

“We admitted that we were… More than friends yesterday,”

Olivia snorted, pulling up another stool to sit next to him, “About time, but I doubt that’s what’s up. Carry on, if you’re able,”

Adam nodded, taking a deep breath.

“We tried to do something intimate, but as soon as he touched me, I felt… Wrong. Ugly, repulsive. It felt like I couldn’t s-subject him to me – like it was m-morally incorrect, so I asked him to s-stop. We went back home, and I h-haven’t seen him since yesterday evening.”

Adam found himself blubbering. He felt humiliated, but he managed to hold back tears by forcing his words out one by one with clenched teeth. Curse these new emotions.

Olivia pulled him into a tight, warm hug.

“Oh, brother… I’m so sorry. Let me tell you; you’re not wrong. You’re a perfectly good-looking young man. Matt is lucky to have you. Our minds can be deceitful sometimes; trust me, I know.”

For some reason, that didn’t make him feel better. He appreciated the sentiment, however. Adam sniffed, reaching up to his cap.

“That’s not the entirety of it, though…”

He pulled the cap away, and white locks fell into his eyes. Olivia’s eyes widened with shock. Adam felt a rush of embarrassment, and he watched with a small amount of horror as the white of his hair bled to a light red. Olivia’s eyes grew to the size of saucers as his hair changed colours.

“Oh-” She managed to say as Adam’s face burned.

“Mhm.”

“But that’s like your-”

“My Ma, yes.”

She placed a finger to her lips thoughtfully, brows furrowed.

“So you’ve inherited her magic hair a little later, then? Why’s that a problem?”

Adam groaned, head falling back into his hands. He spoke between his fingers, voice muffled.

“It’s one of her aasimar traits.”

Olivia gasped lightly, leaning forwards to look at his hair again,

“Oh. And that’s like… Only inherited by the women in your family, right? Cus your ancestor was a dumbass.”

Adam nodded, still unable to look her in the eyes.

“I even managed to manifest a halo. It’s somehow the real deal, and I don’t know why. I just needed to show someone; hiding it is driving me mad,”

He pressed his palms in his eyes, waiting for the reaction. Here it comes. The realisation that he had somehow stolen this power and the judgement that comes with it. This was likely the end of their friendship. Why had he shown her?

Olivia grinned, poking him lightly on the shoulder.

“Perhaps I should call you sister, then, eh?”

…

What?

Adam began to panic, breath quickening and heart racing. Nonononono. Why would she say that?

Well, a thought whispered from a forbidden corner of his mind.

That’s something you haven’t considered yet, have you? What if the celestial heritage, for some reason, thinks you’re a wom-

Adam cut off that train of thought with the force of a guillotine, gripping his face hard. Olivia reached forwards with alarm, gently pulling his hands away from his face before his nails began to dig into his skin.

“Oh gods, Adam, I meant it as a joke. That was in rather poor taste; I apologise, brother. Come here,”  She pulled him into another hug, and slowly his breathing returned to normal. He pressed his face into the shoulder of her work clothes, trying hard not to cry.

“I’m sorry, sister; I don’t know why that stirred me up so much. I-I think I need to go, I’ve got more things to get, but it was nice seeing you again. I won’t wait this long between visits again.”

He pulled away, and Olivia met his eyes with a look of concern, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Alright, brother, just… Don’t hurt yourself, ok? And send a letter to Matt. I imagine he’s worried.”

Adam nodded, emotions blank as he exited the store.

He had not made it two stalls before an all-to-familiar snide voice called out,

“Aha! Adam, come into town again, have you?”

Ah shit.

Just as Adam feared, Felix Ash was standing in the middle of the street with a smug sneer. Felix had been Adam’s ‘friend’ during a period of his life he wasn’t proud of. Adam had desperately wanted to appear proper and feared the only way to do it was to find the most masculine person he could, attach himself to their back like a barnacle, and hopefully learn some things.

Felix had certainly taught him things, many of which he was still unlearning. He was a manipulative and sour bastard who liked to crush others under his heel for entertainment. Matt had always hated him with a burning passion, and Adam’s attempt to join Felix’s side nearly broke their friendship. Felix had always treated Adam poorly, using him as the butt of a joke in most situations, but it was only when Adam had awoken to his sorcerer abilities and seemed to threaten Felix’s fragile ego that the antagonism became truly sadistic. Matt had saved him from one final disastrous and embarrassing situation, and Adam had refused to speak to Felix since.

Felix was one of the main reasons Matt came to visit Adam, not the other way around. Adam tried to move onwards, but a few recognisable cronies emerged from the crowd and bodily blocked his path. He felt an ember of anger begin to flare up in his stomach.

“Today is not the day to do this, Felix,” He growled, attempting to push past the thugs and getting thrown to the ground as a result. Mud stained his clothing as he squelched into a puddle. Just another straw on the camel’s back.

“Oh, you think this is something you can choose, Adam? Perhaps have certain days off? No. This is simply balance. You didn’t do anything to deserve your magic, so we’re here on the other end of the scale. You’re a cheat, sorcerer, and I’m the weight.”

Adam grimaced. Felix had tried multiple times to learn magic with little success. His rather rich parents had even gone to the lengths of hiring multiple tutors. Unfortunately, it turns out that Felix was simply an exceptionally difficult student to teach, namely because he was a rank piece of shit who would most likely find it impossible to listen to a teacher because he was so much better than them.

Or at least that was Adam’s educated guess.

Regardless, Adam gaining magic from his blood had been what had focused all of Felix’s attention on him in a mixture of jealousy and delusions about being some ‘balancing force’ to Adam’s ‘snobbery’. Adam had called that projection and had gotten a bleeding nose as thanks.

Two people picked him up by the arms, dragging him roughly to his feet. Adam was a sorcerer, which unfortunately didn’t require much in the way of muscle mass. He attempted to shake himself free, but his assailant’s hands may as well have been iron vices. In the scuffle, a few strands of white hair had fallen out of his cap and into his vision, though nobody else seemed to notice. Felix approached, and his smug sneer reminded Adam of the poachers that morning. He got angrier.

“Honestly, what work have you actually done to get where you are? You’re a parasite, Lane.”

Adam laughed, dry and humourless.

“Oh, very scathing coming from the boy that lives in a manor-”

He was cut off as Felix’s fist slammed into his stomach. Adam doubled over as all the oxygen left his lungs, dangling from the grip of the two cronies flanking him as he tried to remember how to breathe. Nobody in the crowd took notice, or if they did, they didn’t intervene. Felix’s parents had influence, after all. Felix gripped Adam’s coin purse, ripping it free from his belt and picking through it with a grimace.

“You get this much from the lord as what, a stipend? And for what? Have you ever worked a single day in the mines?”

“Have you?”

A knee this time, in the same spot as before, doubling the pain as Adam gasped for air.

It was not as if Adam and his father did not work for the town. They received their stipend so that they could afford to stay here in the country, and they were stowed away in case of emergencies as the only experienced users of magic in the greater vicinity. Adam had helped put out at least six fires since he had started using magic – Coal dust and other flammable materials were rampant – And his father had enough experience to help build up flood barriers and the like when the rain became truly vicious in the latter half of spring. Adam was proud to be able to help, but none of that mattered to Felix, of course.

Felix dropped Adam’s coin purse into the mud and ground it into the floor with his foot.

He was going to use that money to buy gifts – His father’s birthday was soon, it was the least he could do – and this… And this fucker-

Adam felt a now-familiar click as his anger rose into a furious swirling in his mind. The white hairs in his eyes bled to a black-brown, and the boys holding him yelped as Adam’s arms suddenly became cold, frost gathering on his eyelashes as he yanked himself free. Felix’s eyes went wide, and he stepped back, but Adam grabbed him by the wrist. He leaned in close, ice spreading from where his hand gripped Felix’s arm, expression twisted into a furious grimace.

“Never so much as touch me again, do you understand, Felix? Today was not the day to do this. I am not the little boy who attached himself to your coattails anymore, and I will do more than make you a little chilly if you try something like this again. You fucking toad.”

Adam spat out each word, yanking his coin purse from the street and storming away without looking back. Felix wasn’t worth his time. First, he checked to see if the figurine was still intact – He gave a sigh of relief to find it unharmed. Next, he looked into the purse and found it completely soiled. Adam would have to wash these out and reuse them tomorrow; he doubted any vendor would accept muddy coins, and he didn’t want to risk meeting a vengeful Felix again today.

He trudged home, grumbling as he deftly tucked the hairs back under his cap. He still had so much time left in the day; what would he even do?